INSIDE THE HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM – WHAT TO DO BEFORE SURGERY…
Anyone who decides to have bypass surgery can increase the chance of a successful operation by doing the following…
• Find a good surgeon. He should be board-certified in car-diothoracic surgery. In addition, he should perform at least 150 bypass operations each year. Fewer than that, and he may lack the necessary expertise.
Some patients are uncomfortable asking a surgeon about these details. But good surgeons are happy to share this information—and you want only the best.
• Check out the hospital. It should perform at least 200 bypass operations a year, with a death rate of less than 1.5%.
Stop smoking. Smoking in the 10 days before surgery increases the risk of pneumonia and other surgical complications.
Avoid aspirin. If you take aspirin on a regular basis (to prevent heart attack, for instance), ask your cardiologist about stopping temporarily. Doing so will reduce the risk of excessive bleeding during and after surgery.
Rethink diet and exercise habits. Doctors once thought that bypass surgery would allow patients to carry on their high-fat, low-exercise lives as before. That’s simply untrue. To keep your newly grafted vessels healthy, you must keep fat intake low and get regular exercise.
if you have diabetes: Ask your doctor about “tight control” of your blood sugar before surgery. The better you manage your diabetes, the lower your risk of postoperative infection.
*89/47/1*
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.